Yellow Brick Road Leads Godin Home

WORCESTER -- The Hanover Theater will be showing “The Wizard of Oz” this weekend, but Dorothy won’t be the only one following the yellow brick road home.

Megan Godin, a Leominster native, is part of the ensemble for the classic musical, with shows from Wednesday to Sunday.

“It’s great to have my family come and see the show,” said Godin. “It’s a good feeling being back.”

Born and raised in Leominster, she always had a love for the theater since her parents introduced it to her and her brothers through old movie musicals growing up.

“When I was four years old, my mom put me into dance classes because I said I wanted to go into baseball like my brothers and she didn’t want her only daughter doing that,” said Godin with a laugh.

She has been dancing ever since that day. When she attended Leominster High School, she did her first musical and found her place within the theater department.

Before graduating in 2004, Godin was cast as Peter Pan her senior year and holds that as her “big, memorable moment on stage.”

Godin has been with “The Wizard of Oz” for the past year. Rehearsals for the show began last October and they went on tour across the country in January before settling down for the summer at a dinner theater the musical’s company owns in Pennsylvania.

“They decided to take the show back out for the road for a second year, and I decided to keep going along the yellow brick road,” she said.

This isn’t the first time she’s been in a countrywide touring production. Right after graduating from the University of New Hampshire she got a job at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in upper New York and did eight shows just that summer.

Around the same time, she auditioned in Lowell for “Sesame Street Live,” and almost a year later got a job offer to join the cast.

Godin has also been in “Barney Live In Concert,” “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“I’ve done a lot of shows geared towards children or family-friendly shows,” said Godin. “Physically I’m very petit -- I’m not even quite five-feet tall, and on top of that I have always looked very young so I fit well into children’s shows or portraying children in shows. It’s kind of my bread and butter.”

Her stature makes her the perfect fit to play one of the munchkins, specifically one of the Lullaby League girls. She also plays an Ozian in the Emerald City, a Jitterbug and a Winkie.

“If people are fans of the movie, they’re going to get a pretty close representation of the movie on stage,” said Godin. “We have flying, pyro and in the show a lot of sets are done through video production so that’s something a little different -- it’s not something a ton of shows have been doing.”

She added the projections are mostly used when Dorothy is in Kansas with a backdrop video.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on before Dorothy clicks her heels, Godin will be showing a behind the scenes look on Thursday by taking over The Hanover Theatre’s Instagram, @thehanovertheatre.

Godin said tour life can definitely be difficult, but experiencing every part of the country -- albeit from a bus window most of the time -- gave her a deep appreciation for her life.

“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to pursue this as my career,” said Godin. “I’m one of the lucky kids that had a dream and grew up and got to do it.”

Tickets are available at thehanovertheatre.org . Show times are Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

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Finding his way

Fitchburg State University’s Communications Media Department is putting “The Diviners” at the Wallace Theatre for the Performing Arts, McKay Complex, 67 Rindge Road. It is about a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in a small, Depression-era town in southern Indiana, and how everyone is shaken when tragedy strikes. Admission is free. Performances will be Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 8, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10, two shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 17, two shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Sweet treats with frosting

Decorate cupcakes and create sugar art this Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Townsend Recreation Center, 274 Main St. Appropriate for adults but ages 8 and up are welcome. There will be step-by-step instructions and no prior experience is necessary. All supplies include to decorate three chocolate and three vanilla autumn themed designs. Cost is $32 payable to Townsend Rec or in cash. Register via email to ehtownrec@yahoo.com .

From Russia with love

The Museum of Russian Icons, 230 Union St., Clinton, will be presenting “Corncobs to Cosmonauts: Redefining the Holidays during the Soviet Era,” an exhibition transforming the Museum’s West Gallery into a Russian Winter Wonderland from Nov. 9, 2018-Jan. 27, 2019. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be more than 150 Soviet-era ornaments displayed alongside various-sized and decorated “New Year’s Trees,” together with holiday toys, books, and cards. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 59 and older, $5 for students, $5 for children 3 to 7 years old and children under 3 are free.